14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has released the long-awaited third incremental update to its Snow Leopard operating system, Mac OS X 10.6.3. Weighing in at 719MB for desktop computers, and around 430MB for notebooks, the update is available for free download via the Mac OS X built-in Software Update mechanism, and from Apple’s Support Downloads section.
Last updated in November 2009, Mac OS X 10.6 - dubbed Snow Leopard - is the latest version of Apple’s Mac operating sytem. Currently at its third incremental update, the software is now receiving changes in areas like QuickTime X, Open GL, wireless connections, Rosetta, Time Machine, Xsan and more.
A summary of the key enhancements included in this update is provided on Apple’s Downloads area, where the Mac maker stresses that “The 10.6.3 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac.” According to Apple, this is how the changes affect Snow Leopard:
- improve the reliability and compatibility of QuickTime X - address compatibility issues with OpenGL-based applications - address an issue that causes background message colors to display incorrectly in Mail - resolve an issue that prevented files with the # or & characters in their names from opening in Rosetta applications - resolve an issue that prevented files from copying to Windows file servers - improve performance of Logic Pro 9 and Main Stage 2 when running in 64-bit mode - improve sleep and wake reliability when using Bonjour wake on demand - address a color issue in iMovie with HD content improve printing reliability - resolve issues with recurring events in iCal when connected to an Exchange server - improve the reliability of 3rd party USB input devices - fix glowing, stuck, or dark pixels when viewing video from the iMac (Late 2009) built-in iSight camera
Softpedia will soon offer a more detailed look at the entire set of changes listed by Apple over at its Support section. In the meanwhile, Mac users are encouraged to let others know how their update process went by using the comments. As usual, in tandem with the 10.6.3 update, Apple also released an installer package containing new patches for the security issues plaguing Snow Leopard.
Security Update 2010-002 can either be applied on its own, or alongside Mac OS X 10.6.3, by downloading and installing the full Mac OS X v10.6.3 Update. To grab the latest updates available for your Mac, visit Apple’s web site here, Softpedia's Mac downloads section, or fire up your system’s Software Update mechanism from the Apple menu.